Learning about combat stress from Homer'sIliad

Vietnam Veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder often report the following combat experiences: a leader's betrayal of what's right, lost responsiveness to claims outside a tiny circle of combat-proven comrades, grief and guilt for a dead special comrade, lust for revenge, renunciation of homecoming, feeling already dead, going berserk, dishonoring the enemy, and atrocities. These elements are all in Homer'sIliad account of Achilles, allowing the reader to witness them as they happen, so to speak. Homer's view of healing and regained humanity is discussed in relation to theIliad's final scene. TheIliad offers a cross-cultural look at men in battle, and raises questions about some assumptions in American military culture, particularly regarding grief and the need to degrade the enemy to make men fight. Betrayal of what's right and the berserk state are suggested as key pathogens for PTSD in combat soldiers.